Project REBIRTH:Blocking Policy
Administrators have the ability to stop a user from editing for any duration. However, sysops are only allowed to block users, or ban users, if an offense is made to disrupt the wiki. The following are actions a user might perform that could result in a temporary or permanent block: Offenses Leading to Bans *Page-blanking articles for no justified reason *Replacing article content with illegitimate text or other material **Please be patient with new users. Some may not understand the sensitivity of others about others editing their articles. Assume good faith and let the user defend himself before placing a ban, or requesting a block. *Moving pages to inappropriate titles (General pagemove should be accepted, though if obvious vandalism such as xxxx HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE appears, a ban should be placed) **If the author of the article does not want the article to be named otherwise for the reasons the other user intended, a heed on both sides should be brought toward Naming Conventions. *Personal attacks **When a user directly insults another user, it is a personal attack. **When a user insults another user's work rather than offering constructive criticism, it is a personal attack. *Creating articles for the purpose of disruption **This does not mean horribly misspelled articles that don't contain an elaborate plot, but rather articles that are irrelevant to PR and having offensive content ***Offensive content could be pornography, vulgarity, blatant insults to pages and/or users, or spamming. **Please also note that the purpose of disruption should be narrow, and the intent clear in this instance. Creating articles that are indeed Project REBIRTH is not an offense, whatever quality they may be. Creating an article to compete with or insult another user can result in the article's deletion, but a short, if existent, ban. *Creating a sockpuppet account. **Note: We should clarify to new users with policy pages or other means the definitions of sockpuppetry, and give specific reasons why a sockpuppet should not be used. If a new user is unaware of this policy, the main account should not be banned for an extended period of time, though the sockpuppet, regardless of its intention, should be banned. *Evading previous blocks with new account. **This can be considered a form of sockpuppetry, but if the account is created to keep contributing, even though the user was previously blocked, it is an analogy of a jailbreak, however the intention may be. **If you create an account to appeal a ban, the account still has a risk of being blocked indefinitely as a sockpuppet. You should plead your case via email, IRC, or placing an unblock template on your talk page. Please give a valid reason, and an administrator will likely notice your request and act on it. *Offensive username **Offensive content could be vulgarity, blatant insults to pages and/or users, or spamming. *Spamming **This is advertising another site or page that disrupts the community. Also, advertising a candidate for an election or a new article on an irrelevant talk page should also be prohibited, but only blocked if persistent after warnings. Blocks in this instance could range from hours to infinite, depending on the severity. *Plagiarism **Plagiarism is when a user copy pastes another users work into the user's own work without permission. Even if small edits are made, it is still plagiarism. *Vandalism **This is the destruction of pages with ill intent. Good faith should be assumed, since not all vandalism is intentional. Please note: *Some users have not stumbled upon the page discussing this matter, and the first offense can be forgiven if the problem does not persist and the user apologizes or justifies his mistake. Please assume good faith. Users can change in intent, and minor offenses that are not directly defacing the website should not have indefinite blocks. Duration of Bans Page Blanking and Page Moving Page blanking is when a user deliberately blanks a page that was not created by them for no good reason. Page moving is when a user deliberately moves a page that is not their own to something else, not in good faith or for their own advantage. *First Offense: Warning *Second Offense: 24 Hour Ban *Third Offense: 1 Week Ban *Fourth Offense: 1 Month Ban *Fifth Offense: Permanent ban Personal Attacks and Disruptive Articles Personal attacks are when a user makes a personal attack against another user. Creating articles for the purpose of disruption is when a user creates an article for the purpose of being offensive. *First Offense: Warning *Second Offense: Warning *Third Offense: 24 Hour Ban *Fourth Offense: 1 Week Ban *Fifth Offense: 1 Month Ban *Sixth Offense: Permanent Ban Sockpuppeting and Evading Blocks Sockpuppeting is when a user uses a sockpuppet to get around Project REBIRTH, to either evade a block or just to "start of new". This is not allowed. Evading a block is when a user is blocked and makes a new account. *First Offense: 6 Month- 1 Year Ban *Second Offense: Permanent Ban Offensive Username An offensive username is when a user's screen name includes vulgarity, blatant insults to pages and/or users, or spamming. *First Offense: Permanent Ban **Note: Creating a new account after being permanently banned for this offense does not count as evading a block. Spamming Spamming is when a non-constructive and/or pointless message is being posted on several talk pages or even forums, and the user posting it doesn't comply to stop. *First Offense: Warning *Second Offense: 24 Hour Ban *Third Offense: 1 Week Ban *Fourth Offense: 1 Month Ban *Fifth Offense: Permanent Ban Plagiarism Plagiarism is the direct copy pasting of another users work without permission and claiming it as one's own, including articles and images. *First Offense: Warning *Second Offense: 24 Hour Ban *Third Offense: 1 Week Ban *Fourth Offense: 1 Month Ban *Fifth Offense: Permanent Ban Vandalism Vandalism is any kind of vandalism on any of the above topics, or just vandalizing any article, user page, talk page, forum or template. Vandalism can vary on the punishment. *First Offense: 1 Week Ban *Second Offense: 1 Month Ban *Third Offense: Permanent Ban Assume Good Faith Anyone can edit and not all acts that seem like vandalism, may be intended as such. Remember this: As we allow anyone to edit, it follows that we assume that most people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. So, when you can reasonably assume that something is a well-intentioned error, correct it without just reverting it or labeling it as vandalism. When you disagree with someone, remember that they probably believe that they are helping the project. Consider using talk pages to explain yourself, and give others the opportunity to do the same. This can avoid misunderstandings and prevent problems from escalating. Especially, remember to be patient with newcomers, who will be unfamiliar with Project REBIRTH's culture and rules. A newcomer's behavior probably seems appropriate to him or her and a problem usually indicates unawareness or misunderstanding of Wikipedian culture. It is not uncommon for a newcomer to believe that an unfamiliar policy should be changed to match their experience elsewhere. Similarly, many newcomers bring with them experience or expertise for which they expect immediate respect. Behaviors arising from these perspectives are not necessarily malicious. Correcting someone's error (even if you think it was deliberate) is better than accusing him or her of lying because the person is more likely to take it in a good-natured fashion. Correcting a newly added sentence that you know to be wrong is also much better than simply deleting it. Assuming good faith is about intentions, not actions. Well-meaning people make mistakes, and you should correct them when they do. You should not act like their mistakes are deliberate. Correct, but don't scold. There will be people on Project REBIRTH with whom you disagree. Even if they're wrong, that doesn't mean they're trying to wreck the project. There will be some people with whom you find it hard to work. That doesn't mean they're trying to wreck the project either. However, if it means they annoy you, it is never necessary that we attribute an editor's actions to bad faith, even if bad faith seems obvious, as all our countermeasures (i.e. reverting, blocking) can be performed on the basis of behavior rather than intent. When edit wars get hot, it's easy to forget to assume good faith. This policy does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of evidence to the contrary. Actions inconsistent with good faith include vandalism, sockpuppetry, and lying. Assuming good faith also does not mean that no action by editors should be criticized, but instead that criticism should not be attributed to malice unless there is specific evidence of malice. Accusing the other side in a conflict of not assuming good faith, without showing reasonable supporting evidence, is another form of failing to assume good faith. Don't Feed the Trolls Pages listing vandals and trolls, templates and categories, and excited and dramatic reactions are all things that will feed the trolls and encourage them to do more of the same. On wikis, we have to react a little by reverting the damage, and that's part of the reason that there will always be some vandalism on wikia, but our reaction should be as calm and as limited as possible. Category:Official Project Rebirth Policy